Chevrolet Corvette Z06 owners have filed a class-action lawsuit against General Motors for overheating issues that cause the sports car to go into "limp mode" after only 15 minutes of track use. The lawsuit, filed in June by automaker-suing firm Hagens Berman, claims that a cooling system malfunction can put the Corvette Z06 into "limp mode," which drastically reduces the car's power and speed. After only 15 minutes, which is by no means what you expect when you buy a car that can cost in excess of $100,000. What's more, it turns out that the Z06 can go into limp mode on public roads too, which eliminates the scenario that this is an issue for customers who take their sports car to the track.

As is it the case with cooling system defects, the issue is also prone to do damage to important engine components, which adds costly repair bills to an already frustrating experience. The issue affects model-year 2015 to 2017 cars and Hagens Berman estimates that around 30,000 units may suffer from this problem. The lawsuit also claims that General Motors breached state and federal laws and it seeks financial damages for the owners.

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An Old, Apparently Unsolved Issue

The Z06's cooling issues are by no means new. These problems occurred only a few weeks after the first customers took possession of their cars. Chevy addressed the problem by making some updates to the cooling system, but as it turns out, the track-ready Corvette is still going into "limp mode" after 15 minutes of spirited driving, which is definitely not enough for a successful track day.

A similar issue was also reported by Motor Trend in its "Best Driver's Car" test in 2015, when Randy Pobst's example went into a similar "limp mode" on the track. GM then said that their car suffered from a different issue, but the lawsuit has a different story. With 2017-model-year units affected by a similar problem, there's the possibility that GM did not address the issue correctly, which is a very big deal for a performance vehicle that costs this much.

"We believe we’ve found GM to be guilty of a classic bait and switch – one that cost thousands of consumers dearly, up to $120,000, and broke state consumer protection laws. GM enticed race enthusiasts with bells and whistles, promising a car that could maintain safe speeds and power when tracked, but we believe what it sold them was far from what it promised. This defect not only damages the Z06 engine, but endangers drivers.

The defect in question markedly limits the car’s performance – the sole reason these hotrod enthusiasts bought the Corvette Z06 in the first place. If they’d known of this defect at the time of purchase, they likely wouldn’t have spent six figures on the Z06," said Steve Berman, managing partner of Hagens Berman.

Why It Matters?

It remains to be seen how GM will solve this issue for its customers, but things look really bad for Chevrolet right. Not only it will require a big recall, but the lawsuit will also drill a big hole in the company's pockets, which will most likely have to pay a lot of cash in monetary damages. Besides being accused of a "bait and switch" scheme, GM also faces the problem of the Z06 now being associated with cooling issues, which could slow sales down and diminish the value of Corvette Z06s on the used car market. And, needless to say, it will have to pay for both. And it won't be cheap!

But no matter what happens, I have a feeling that nothing will make Corvette enthusiasts feel better after such a massive disappointment.

Read our full review on the Chevrolet Corvette Z06 here.